Available online a t www.pelagiaresearchlibrary.com Pelagia Research Library Advances in Applied Science Research, 2013, 4(1):105-112 ISSN: 0976-8610 CODEN (USA): AASRFC The measurements of boron concentration rate in water using curcumin method and SSNTDs Techniques *Thaer. M. Salman and Muntadher. A. Qasim Department of Physics, College of Education for Pure Science, University of Basrah, Basrah, Iraq _____________________________________________________________________________________________ ABSTRACT A technical method has been used two sets of experimental works in the measurements of Boron concentrations in water. The first measurement is by using curcumin method and the second is the passive method by using the solid state nuclear track detectors, CR39. Tap water in the governorate, has a very low Boron concentration 0.355 ppm atAl-Bedeah river, Al-Jzeera AlOula, did show a Boron level as high as 7.405 ppm at east governorate, while the waters have Boron level ranging between 7.785mg/l and 0.638 mg/l in curcumin method .A conclusion has been made, that Basra governorate tap water is safe as far as Boron concentration is concerned , while the rivers waters should be avoided. The high concentration tells us that pollutant in this part of city is larger than the other parts. Samples of water were collected during April 2011, from all locations in Basra City. Keywords : Neutron Source, Boron, Curcumin, SSNTD, Drinking water. _____________________________________________________________________________________________ INTRODUCTION Solid state nuclear track detectors (SSNTDs) of different materials are i mportant for investigations in basic science and tech nology [1] .Among such applications, SSNTDs are widely used in radiation protection and environmental radiation monitoring . Their theory was developed more than 40 years ago, the basic fundamentals can be found in Somogyi [2] and in more details in Durrani et al. [3] . Even more details for detecting alpha particles, which is important from BNCT point of view, can be found in Nikezic [4]. Therefore, here we touch some aspects of interest, only. Popularly saying, an ionizing particle produces a narrow damaged zone in the plastic, 10-100 nm in diameter, which can be enlarged and visualized by a chemical treatment, so that the particle movement in the detector material, let us say the footprint of the particle or its track can be followed under optical microscope. Depending on the chemical treatment (called etching) and observation method there are basically two requirements: the range and energy deposition of the particle should be adequate. Boron is a nonmetallic element that belongs to Group IIIA of the periodic table and has an oxidation state of +3. It 10 has an atomic number of 5 and atomic weight of 10.81. Boron is actually a mixture of two stable isotopes, B 11 (19.8%) and B (80.2%) [5]. Boron is a naturally-occurring element found in rocks, soil, and water. The concentration of boron in the earth’s crust has been estimated to be <10 ppm, but concentrations as high as 100 ppm can be found in boron-rich areas [6] . Only the latter has a high thermal neutron capture cross section (3832 b). Due to its nuclear characteristics e.g. being a non radioactive element and readily available, the isotope boron-10 is often employed in application where the (n, ) reaction is of advantage and where other analytical techniques could not be employed satisfactorily. The probability for the absorption of a neutron by this stable isotope via the 10 B (n, )7Li capture reaction (10BNC- reaction), is given by the absorption cross section. Its value is a function of the impinging neutron energy, (www.nndc.bnl.gov). The energetic fragments emitted in the 10 BNC- reaction produce a high value of "Linear Energy Transfer" (LET) or dE/dx, that is, a measure of the number of ionisations 105 Pelagia Research Library Thaer. M. Salman et al Adv. Appl. Sci. Res., 2013, 4(1):105-112 _____________________________________________________________________________ per unit distance as they traverse the absorbing material. Their combined path lengths are of short distance making them quite suitable where localized damage is of advantage. Industrial processes have been devised to modify the natural boron isotopic composition in order to obtain high values for 10 B concentration. The 10 BNC-reaction to take place requires a sample containing, even at ppb Among the known boron compounds, several hundred are employed in today’s applications and a growing level, 10B, a source set for irradiation with thermal or lower neutron energy (0.025eV or less) and a reaction fragment detecting device. The reaction phenomenon is related to a neutron interacting with boron nucleus, followed by breakup in two fragments of the 10 B+n compound nucleus (that survives a short time in the order of picoseconds). The two fragment nuclei depart acquiring kinetic energy due to a strong Coulomb field moving in opposite direction under the momentum conservation law, synthesized by the following process: The reaction occurs with different branching ratio: the first has a relatively low frequency occurrence (6.1%) but has the advantage that the reaction is photon less and therefore the induced damage leads to a higher "Linear Energy Transfer" (LET) or dE/dx. The other, with higher occurrence is accompanied by a 0,48 MeV photon. If the alpha particle (4He+) leaves the sample surface, with sufficient kinetic energy, then it can be detected e.g. by nuclear track techniques. The alpha particle fingerprint given by a suitable detecting material, provides information on the boron presence and it is recognized as a powerful analytical method for boron studies. The chemical structure of some boron compounds is found in Figure 1. Boric acid Sodium tetraborate decahydrate Boron oxide Anhydrous borax Fig. 1. Chemical Structures of some boron compounds [7] (Chemfinder.com, 2006) 106 Pelagia Research Library Thaer. M. Salman et al Adv. Appl. Sci. Res., 2013, 4(1):105-112 _____________________________________________________________________________ Elemental boron is insoluble in water [8]. The vapor pressure of elemental boron and all the boron compounds that are the subject of this report are negligible at 20°C and 25°C [9-13]. Borax (decahydrate) does not have a boiling point. Borax decomposes at 75°C, and loses 5H2O at 100°C, 9H 2O at 150°C, and becomes anhydrous at 320°C. The melting point for anhydrous borax is above 700°C and it decomposes at 1575°C [8]. Boric acid is a weak acid with a 9.2 pKA and exists primarily as the undissociated acid (H3BO3) in aqueous solution at physiological pH [6] . Borax in solution has alkaline properties, but does not cause corrosion to ferrous metals [11]. Boron oxide reacts slowly with water to form boric acid [13] and it is corrosive to metals in the presence of oxygen [14,15]. Fig. 2. Basra Governorate, dots represent the places where samples taken from, numbering in station number (S) ( Basra map is from Google earth) This work describes the preliminary findings from Boron concentration measurement data collected in. The general aim is to investigate the complex interactions and exchanges with flow of water, and to estimate how much hazards brought with waters. In fact, the study area is located inside Basra Governorate which is located in the extreme southern part of Iraq, see Fig. 2. Al-Basra Governorate sited at the southern rim of the Gulf, part of the Iraqi Southern Desert in the west and south and relatively short coast on the Gulf. In the northern part of Basra Governorate, Tigris and Euphrates merge forming Shatt-Al Arab river which flows southward to the Gulf. MATERIALS AND METHODS In Basra governorate, the household water is supplied from two sources; one from Bada’a (on Euphrates River) and the other from Shatt-alrab river (formed by the confluence of the Euphrates and the Tigris rivers). Samples from 40 stations and locations were collected during April 2011. The collected, 0.25L, bottles completely filled with water and well sealed to avoid any connection with air.The measurements of Boron concentration water were carried out by two methods: 1. curcumin method Boron in water can be determined by several methods, including the curcumin method, consisting of acidification and evaporation in the presence of curcumin to produce rosocyanine, which is taken up with ethanol and compared photometrically with standards. The curcumin method is recommended for water with boron concentrations between 0.1 and 1.0 mg/L. When a sample of water containing boron is acidified and evaporated in the presence of curcumin,a red-colored product called rosocyanine is formed. The rosocyanine is taken up in a suitable solvent and the red color is compared with standards visually or photometrically. 2. Passive Method We used the Solid State Nuclear Track Detectors (SSNTDs), for the measurements of Boron concentration in drinking water. The SSNTD, CR39 1. x1. cm films. Many samples of water from different places have been supplied. One milliliter of each sample of water is dropped on the same area of the CR − 39 track detector, and it is 107 Pelagia Research Library Thaer. M. Salman et al Adv. Appl. Sci. Res., 2013, 4(1):105-112 _____________________________________________________________________________ left to dry. After drying the samples are exposed to a thermal neutron source for the same period of time 3 days. A 10 7 α nuclear reaction of type 5 B n,( ) 3 Li has been occurred, Alpha particles are emitted with energy 2.31 MeV which can make suitable track in CR − 39 plastic-detector. The samples, after being exposed, are washed in distilled water, then etched in a solution of 6.25 N (Normality) NaOH at 70 o temperature, 3 hrs (etching time) , by using a bath held at a constant temperature.